Black Hills State University and Northern State University (NSU) education students are now providing free one-on-one online tutoring to K-12 students in South Dakota thanks to The Dakota Dreams Online Tutoring Program.
The new tutoring initiative is administered by the South Dakota Board of Regents, funded by the South Dakota Department of Education, and staffed by students accepted into the School of Education at either BHSU or NSU. Tutors will be available seven days a week with sessions occurring in the afternoons and evenings.
“The online tutoring program allows students – kindergarten through high school – to receive individualized support after the school day has ended,” said South Dakota Secretary of Education Tiffany Sanderson. “Once a parent has registered their child, students can access a tutor from home, the local library or afterschool program, or even their favorite coffee shop. I think parents are going to like this one-on-one support as much as their students.”
The program utilizes a simple and secure online platform where students can log in and connect with a tutor on-demand for virtual sessions. Tutors can provide support in English/language arts, math, science, and social studies. The focus of these tutoring sessions will be to assist K-12 students with their current homework and curriculum expectations, not to provide them with additional work.
Dr. Betsy Silva, dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at BHSU, said this new program not only provides K-12 students in the state with important educational resources, but gives BHSU teacher candidates practical experience that will benefit their future careers.
“This is an amazing opportunity for South Dakota’s K-12 students and teacher candidates. A student may just need a concept or process explained again or a little differently, or a student may need in-depth one-on-one time and encouragement,” Silva said. “BHSU teacher candidates are excited to teach and ready to serve students across a range of students’ personal academic needs. This really is a win-win for everyone.”
To access the free service, parents first need to register their students to use the platform. Once registered, sessions can either be pre-scheduled or on-demand, depending on tutor availability.
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